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Objective

Scriptapalooza was founded in 1998 with the goal of helping as many writers as possible through the competition. We have over 90 production companies, agents and managers reading all the entered scripts. (A complete list of participants is on Scriptapalooza's website.)

We actively push the Semifinalists, Finalists, Runners-Up and Winners for a full year with the intention of creating opportunities for the writers. We are a hands on competition because we feel it is important to continue supporting the top scripts beyond the cash and prizes.

We are proud to present the competition with Write Brothers, a company that not only provides the necessary tools for writing but is an advocate and true supporter of emerging writers.

We are endorsed by Robert McKee, author of STORY.

Deadline/Entry Fees

Deadline

Date

Entry Fee

Days till Deadline

Early Bird

January 5, 2018

$45 (features); $25 (shorts)

First

February 1, 2018

$50 (features); $30 (shorts)

Regular

March 1, 2018

$55 (features); $35 (shorts)

12

Late

April 16, 2018

$60 (features); $40 (shorts)

58

Final

April 30, 2018

$65 (features); $45 (shorts)

72

We now accept SHORT screenplays, under 40 pages in length.

Notification: August 15, 2018

Rules

This competition is open to any writer, 18 or older without produced feature film credits. Entering the competition constitutes permission to use the winners' names and likenesses for publicity and promotions with no additional compensation. We reserve the right to
publicize and promote any and all progress, development and success of the entered scripts.

Any script from any genre will be considered.

Multiple entries are accepted, provided a signed entry form and appropriate entry fee is attached to each submission.

Multiple authorship is acceptable. If the screenplay wins an award, that award will be divided among the writers, by the
writers.

Screenplays must be the original work of the author.

Scriptapalooza recommends registering your scripts with the WGA or copyrighting your material with the Library of Congress.

No substitutions of new drafts or corrected pages for script entries will be accepted under any circumstances.

Entry must be accompanied by the following:
a. completed official entry form (photocopies are acceptable)
b. the appropriate entry fee
c. completed original feature screenplay

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Contest News

The Flight of the Wasp, a 2015 Scriptapalooza Runner-Up, written by Andrea Brusa is being produced by Victoria Films and Ilann Girard. The script tells the story of an Italian engineer that turns down the opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream of designing the world's first helicopter and inspired by love, instead, decides to lift the spirits of his war-ravaged community by inventing the uniquely Italian motorbike: The Vespa.

Updated: 01/09/2018

Sitting on the floor, staring at each other and trying to figure out how to make screenplay competitions matter. Here we are, in 1998, disappointed with how the so-called screenplay competitions are operating, where you mail in your script and never hear back from anyone. "We can change this", we told ourselves. "Let's change it. Now."

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Interviews

MovieBytes Interview:Screenwriter Mike B Jones

Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?

A: The title of my script is The Fantastically Adventurous Adventures of Barry Throssip. It's an adventure story about a hypochondriac worrywart named Barry Throssip who gets caught up in a globetrotting race to prevent the evil Doctor Sourseed from using a magical stone to raise the long lost ancient continent of Lalantha.

Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?

A: I entered Scriptapalooza because I felt that it actually provided something for its entrants rather than just money. Before I entered any competitions, I went and did my research on which competitions offer what to the winners. There are far too many useless competitions out there that are simply designed to take money from writers and offer them very little in return. Scriptapalooza is not one of them. In my opinion, industry exposure is a million times more valuable than winning a cash prize or merchandise. Right from the start I wanted a competition that could actually put my script out there and offer me the potential of finding representation. Scriptapalooza does exactly that. So really, the choice was quite easy to make.

I entered three contests with this script: Scriptapalooza, The Nicholl Fellowship and the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition. I didn't make so much as the quarterfinals in either the Nicholl Fellowship or Austin.

Q: Were you satisfied with the administration of the contest? Did they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that were promised?

A: I was very satisfied with the administration of the contest. I especially appreciate the fact that Scriptapalooza keeps writer's names off the scripts so that there is no risk of bias from the judges. There have been many competitions that I refused to enter simply because my name was required on the script. That may sound paranoid, but I like to know that I'm entering into a competition on a level playing field with my fellow writers.

As far as deadlines being met, yes, Scriptapalooza took care of that as well as the awards that were promised.

Q: How long did it take you to write the script? Did you write an outline beforehand? How many drafts did you write?

A: I would say that it probably took me about five months in total to write the script. I write vague outlines before I sit down to actually write a script, but I also like to paint myself into a corner once I start writing a screenplay. I know that many writers write outlines in order to avoid painting themselves in a corner, but for me, I find that the creative juices really start to flow when I'm genuinely stuck. It can be torturous, but that's writing. I believe that I wrote somewhere in the neighbourhood of 7-9 drafts of Barry Throssip.

Q: What kind of software did you use to write the script, if any? What other kinds of writing software do you use?

A: I use a buggy, prone to crashing, screwy version of Final Draft. It has nearly brought me to the brink of insanity many times.

Q: Do you write every day? How many hours per day?

A: I write everyday, yes. On average, I would say that I write roughly six hours a day. Not six hours straight, mind you, but six hours total throughout the day. In my opinion, sticking to a writing schedule is essential for any writer and the more frequently you do it, the easier it gets. Not that writing is ever easy, but the sitting down and focussing part can get easier if you stick to a routine.

Q: Do you ever get writer's block? If so, how do you deal with that?

A: Honestly, no. That probably sounds pretentious, but it's true. I get stuck on specific parts of scripts - but that's a different beast altogether than getting writer's block. When I get stuck, I generally try to remove myself from the work because you just can't force creativity. I go for a walk and listen to music or watch a movie or read a script or go swimming. It's when I take my mind off of the work that I'm trying to do that something just unexpectedly jumps in to my head, giving me the push I need to continue on.

Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?

A: I didn't go to film school. I hung around with a lot of people who did, so I kind of got a vicarious version of film school. I wrote a few short films that got produced, but I actually didn't seriously start screenwriting until a few years back. I wrote my first feature length screenplay in 2007 and just went from there. Before that I wrote a novel that remains unpublished but was a great method for learning to write. From there I moved on to writing a lot of short stories, getting published online and in various anthologies. I did a lot of travel writing and wrote for different magazines in different countries around the world. In 2009 I was selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Berlinale Script Station, where I really learned a lot about screenwriting and filmmaking in general. I would highly recommend the Talent Campus and Script Station to anyone who wants to connect with screenwriters and filmmakers from around the world as well as really take their work to the next level. In addition to screenwriting, I currently write for the UK based tattoo magazine Skin Deep.

I wrote one television script a few years back, but I'm not much of a TV watcher. Films have always captured my attention, even from a very early age. I love everything about them and I want others to be able to feel the same enjoyment that films have always given me. Barry Throssip is the ninth feature length screenplay that I've written.

Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?

A: I do not live in Los Angeles, no. To be honest, right now I'm kind of homeless. I travel a lot and spend different amounts of time in different countries. I think travel is vital to any writer. I would love to be as close to the industry as LA, but I'm not an American citizen, so packing up and legally moving to LA isn't really an option for me at this point.

Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?

A: I have no idea what's next. I can only hope that good things will continue to happen. I'm working on a new script right now and shooting a documentary this fall/winter in South East Asia. Beyond that, all I can do is take things as they come, one day at a time.